Autumn Talks
by AshenEmbers56
Summary: Penny and Gumball have your typical high school relationship as things begin, however, as the years get on and they grow older, time changes them and their relationship evolves alongside the pair. Do they remain lovers until the end, or is this just high school romance at it's worst?
1. Changing Tides

**If you're reading this, then firstly, thank you. Even if this is just a passing read or something you're possibly interested in, I'm still grateful.**

**I've been extremely anxious about uploading anything related to this, since it's sorta my first time publishing an idea I've had in the works.  
**

**I hope you still find some enjoyment out of this, though. Any feedback is extremely appreciated as I hope to develop into writing this fic into something people might look forward to, and if not, then it's still something I want to focus on as a personal project.**

**Please enjoy!**

* * *

2:48am

Elmore, California.  
A usual name for such an unusual town, was held in quiet Spring darkness. A gentle overcast sky allowed for snippets of moonlight to illuminate itself into the town, but aside from the soft murmur of cars along the distant highway, a certain weight hung in the dry atmosphere.

Penny Fitzgerald, a young fairy recently broken from her shell, lay bundled into her bedsheet covers, grasping the sheet to keep the weight upon her. A futile attempt to lull in sleep.

Her newly golden-hazel eyes pierced into the faint darkness of her room, which was only being somewhat lit from the fairy lights that hung around her desk and wardrobe, as she attempted to search for a reason why she couldn't sleep. A turn to her side only made her pout, seeing the time hadn't changed from the last time she rolled over. Only 5 minutes ago.

With a defeated huff, she sat up, keeping the cover up to her chest as she sat back against the headboard, bringing her hand to rub the bridge of her nose, before rubbing her eyes.  
Anxiety was riddled across her features. A hint of gauntness was cast against her cheeks. The tired in her eyes was becoming unbearable, but her mind wouldn't, couldn't, stop to rest.

She had broken from her Shell only a few days ago. Something her family held high in tradition, and law, for years. Her grandfather's, father's father, etc, for as long as she could recall, had been Shelled. Though, no-one seemed to understand _why_ they had hide. Elmore certainly was no stranger to creatures and kin of all forms and sizes, why was her kin seemingly required to hide?  
The concept riddled her thoughts, and with another sigh, she attempted to scrub them from her mind, as the idea of school perked up again.  
Not that anyone from her class had any issues with her personally, a drastic change in appearance always garnered unwanted gazes, and she knew it was going to be an extremely long day tomorrow.

Another quick glance at her clock set her off, knowing she shouldn't have been tempted, she simply closed her eyes, resting her forehead against her hand that rested upon her knees.

Could she fake being sick? It wasn't completely untrue, maybe forcing herself to puke could help ease her anxiety for just a little bit longer. Staying bed ridden to let the news of her new appearance sink in before she showed up. No doubt Gumball would've told everyone first thing.

...Gumball.

Even his name seemed to ease her, a hint of a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth as she pictured his aggressive amount of enthusiasm and big mouth gushing about the news, and, maybe even admitting they were a thing? Admittedly she knew he wasn't _that_ brash, but the idea still tickled her.

Her mind went back to that night, only a few days ago, but still felt like yesterday. His words traced her thoughts, and the small kiss they shared churned her stomach with hopeful anxiety. He promised to be there for her, whether he meant it or was trying to fill in boots that were too big, she couldn't be sure. But it was still the concept that chipped away the edge she felt more than anything.  
The concept itself, however, still couldn't force sleep upon her, though the once tense posture she held now relaxed as she leant back into the headboard, eyes focused on some spot upon her ceiling.

As of now, the biggest worry was her father, Patrick. He'd become unkempt, more so than usual, with a similar feeling of sickness that Penny felt too, seemingly only residing to his bedroom and workplace as to not deal with the situation affrontedly.  
Penny had prepared for the worst, although in hindsight it might have been somewhat dramatic; She was dreading the moment he'd announce they'd be departing Elmore to start over again. A new name, home, school, everything. As such, a rucksack filled with what necessities she could reasonably pack was now tucked under her bed, hidden beside a coat and rugged pair of trainers.

As cliche as the entire thought was, she was absolutely prepared to depart on her own terms if it meant seriously proving a point. Whether or not Gumball would follow her is a different hope entirely, but she assumed hiding at his place was a good enough last resort.

An exhausted sigh finally left her as another turn to the clock on her nightstand showed, at least, some significant amount of time had passed. The weight of her covers was finally beginning to take effect, as Penny mutedly sunk into the mound of pillows, taking a particularly fluffed pillow to her side to aggressively hold, burying her face into it.

"_It's just another day._" She muttered, her eyes closed for all but a moment, before-

* * *

-An alarm went off, dragging Penny back to the land of the living as quickly as she entered.

Morning had arrived, and Elmore was abundantly more alive than it was merely 5 hours ago.

A few elongated blaring honks left the school bus that now parked outside her house, and bidding a laughably weak smile atop her farewell to her mother, who was more than happy to drive her to school instead, Penny stood her ground in denying the ride. Even if she appeared ready for today, internally she was anything but prepared. Having a point to prove helped push every anxious thought that bombarded her since waking up, even if each thought only existed to form a migraine.

A short hop onto the bus revealed what Penny had been dreading for the past few days, except…

No-one glanced any differently towards her then they would've before. The few scattered people present seemed more preoccupied with their conversations or whatever aggressively unfunny meme they happened to be looking at on their phones. Only Leslie threw her an uninterested wave, unflinching from his barrage of gossip with Misami.

The bus began moving before Penny could respond, and took the forward momentum now pushing onto her to find an empty space, which wasn't particularly difficult considering her house was among the first few to be picked up. Having tucked her rucksack in between her legs, a more confident sigh left Penny this time, if only slightly more confident. If today could remain like this feeling right now, until she graduates, everything would turn out fine.

With each stop more bodies began filling out the bus seats, and the more crowded with pre-pubescent angst the bus became. Penny only seemed interested in the journey as the next set of streets became more familiar.  
A few stops later, and the bus found itself outside the Watterson's home, Darwin and Gumball rushed over, almost tripping over each other before hopping on, enjoying their brief conversing with Rocky as usual. Darwin found himself a seat near the front, already talking with someone Penny didn't realise was even there.

It was then Gumball spun around, and the crimson on his face was easily visible.

Penny equally blushed, but waved him over, eager to hear how Gumball has been the past couple days, more so she was just happy to finally have a comforting aura to be around.

"Heya Penny, you been holding up okay?" Gumball mused quietly, having settled his backpack by his feet, scooting up beside her.

"Mmh, kinda." She admitted, the smile she had twisted into a more neutral expression, it was better to be honest than to pretend the last few days haven't been the biggest thing in her life so far. "Dad's still being… difficult, about everything. I think he just needs more time to get used to, well, me, _again_, I guess."

"...Yeah, I'd say give it a little while, I'm sure he'll start improving soon." He took Penny's hand into his paw, brushing his thumb over her knuckle. "What about, everyone else?" He motioned his head towards the rest of the bus, where conversations still continued on like normal.

"So far, so good. No-ones really given me any unusual glances yet, but there's always tomorrow."

Gumball fiddled with the thought in his mind, gazing into the back of the bus seat.

"I'll be fine." Penny reassured him, squeezing his paw gently, bringing him back to reality for the moment. "All we need is for Tobias to do something incredibly stupid and, things'll go back to feeling normal."

"Oh trust me, that won't take long. Have you heard how he plans on scuffing the tests today?"

Penny shook her head a little, a grin forming on her tired features.

"X-Ray glasses. Like, the ones you get from the back of old comics from the 60's; X-Ray glasses. I'm almost 90% sure he paid actual money for 'em too."

The pair gazed over a few seats back to see Tobias holding his flimsy specs for a small gathering to see, rambling on about how he's going to ace every test that could possibly exist.

Penny snorted into her free hand, trying to keep her giggles low so he didn't hear them.

"He can't be serious, right? Like he has to _know_ everything about his plan is absolutely garbage, surely?"

"I betcha 5 bucks he'll be face down in panic later on, you'll be able to pinpoint the exact moment his 'plan' falls apart."

"If I wasn't buying us lunch, I'd take you up on that." She grinned fully, but then another thought crossed her mind, one that made her tense into her seat, having readjusted so her wings were more folded against her back.

"H-Hey, so… have…" Penny started, biting her lip as Gumball met her gaze with a quizzical look. "...Have you told anyone, about… Us?"

Gumball had now tensed up, realising his paw was feeling a lot more sweaty than it was mere moments ago.

"W-Well, uh… I mean, Darwin doesn't count, right?" Penny shook her head, looking over Gumball's shoulder somewhat to see if the row next to them was listening in. "Then, uhm. No. No, not yet."

"Mkay… I mean, it's, it's a little obvious if we're… together, now, obviously. Uhm."

God, this was easier in her head, as was every other variant of this conversation she'd had rehearsed with herself in the shower.

"Yeah, yeah, obviously." Gumball echoed, wondering why she even wanted to bring this up now.

"...I'm not gonna lie it's gonna take me a while before I can even begin to call you _my_ _boyfriend_ without feeling like my entire head is going to melt."

Penny huffed in one go, now the crimson against her freckles was becoming more apparent. Gumball could only muster an embarrassed chuckle, nodding with agreement.

"I doubt it'll be that long before people start making it a _thing_, so…"

"...So we just, say we're a _thing_ so people don't make it a thing?" Penny concluded, admittedly jumping through hoops this early wasn't particularly helping the slight migraine she had formed.

"I… Yeah, I can get behind that."

Gumball let out an easy sigh, and was about to retort with something before the bus came to a halt outside their school. The pair shared a glance before gathering their belongings, falling in with everyone else as they poured out from the bus.

Though, Penny fell a step behind everyone as she watched them slither off in between the growing crowds of school kids, to wherever they wanted to go before class. She didn't usually have feelings of grandeur like this, seeing as she'd told herself not 6 hours ago it'd just be another day, the weight of it all felt anything but.

That urge to run was pressed heavy onto her shoulders, it'd be easy to dart off right now, maybe she could even convince Gumball to come along this instant, he was only just a few feet ahead of her, or maybe-

Gumball stepped past the last few dwindling people up to Penny, offering a comforting smile, as she only just blinked back to reality.

"C'mon, I'll be right here with you. If you want, you could shapeshift and hide away in my pocket until we're inside? If that's even a thing you can do right now."

Penny let out a soft huff of amusement, unfortunately her ability to shapeshift wasn't fully within her control yet, emotions still being one such crux to these capabilities of hers. She simply shook her head, taking Gumball's paw into her hand.

"No… No, sorry, just, caught in the moment was all. I'll be fine." She began leading him into the building, letting out one final breath.  
_  
"...I'll be fine."_

* * *

The afternoon had been rung in, as bundles of students began filling the lunch hall and surrounding sitting areas to their midday feast, as little as it would be.

Gumball was stationed just outside the hall, back to the wall with his rucksack slouched at his feet. He could only observe everyone meandering on their way, trying not to make too much eye contact with anyone.

Penny was supposed to meet him here at least 10 minutes ago, and worry was beginning to fill his frame. Amidst his thoughts, he tried chalking it up to her receiving more praise or some form of critic regarding her latest science project, whatever it might be, considering Gumball could hardly keep up with most of the jargon she used. The thought made him passively scratch the back of his head, naturally being careful with his claws, before deciding to himself that it couldn't hurt to at least attempt finding her, if anything he'd bump into her on the way. He hoped, at least, scooping his gear up before picking a direction down the hallway, and setting off.

Another odd 15 minutes had passed before Gumball had made his way across the entire section of the school Penny was supposed to be in, full fledged worry filled his entire core. Moments like this made him quietly curse the fact he wasn't allowed a mobile phone yet, and made the mental note to cast fearsome guilt eyes at his mother later.  
Though, he thought back to the bus ride early, he could tell Penny wasn't… exactly, with it today. Feeling somewhat responsible, or arguably, fully responsible, he finally made his way to the library, pushing through the doors with relative ease.

The area was obviously quiet and hardly crowded, though hushed conversations could be heard from some of the bookcases to his right, no voices he recognised, however. Taking a few steps into the opening area of the library finally let his anxiety ease up greatly, seeing Penny sat at a desk with her back to the majority of the open space, with her head resting into her hand.

With rightful caution, he approached quietly to Penny, giving her shoulder a light tap.

"...You okay? I was worried you'd run off somewhere."

Penny spun from her seat, her features glossed with a sheepish apologetic nature. Though she quickly raised up to match over his height, hugging him in response.

"Yeah, I'm… I'm okay, sorry. I got caught up in thinking. Apparently time got the better of me."

Gumball returned the embrace with a sigh of relief, giving her a small smile of understanding.

"Something on your mind? Lunch can wait if you're not up to it, we can just grab food after school anyway."

"You sure? I'm still buying, promise."

"'Course, my stomach might disagree, but, I'll ration off from Darwin later."

Penny gave a quiet huff, sitting back down in her seat. The space before her was lined with science textbooks, psychology articles and some form of half-scribbled plan. Hidden only somewhat under Penny's pencil-case and myriad of pens and pencils. Gumball grabbed a nearby seat, scooting himself closer to her space, and started passively scanning the information before him. Clearly whatever this was, it was bigger than some science project.

"...This is, uh… Impressively technical. Like, way above what we should be taught. ...Right?" Gumball was still trying to read her handwriting, as gorgeously refined as it was, that didn't make it any easier to read.

"Something like that." Penny admitted, brushing some of the papers she'd be writing to reveal even more layered underneath. "...Is it weird I'm going to this length _just_ to prove a point to Dad? I don't think I'll even have the ability to get him to listen."

Gumball threw an eyebrow up in response, but scrunched his nose up when he turned to face her.

"I don't think it's weird at all. I still just… Don't quite, know what _that_ bit says." He pointed a claw to a section of writing, and Penny leaned over to confirm.

"Oh, that bit, it's talking about emotional aspects of shifts in appearance, and the effects over time. Like, y'know, the _whole_ thing my entire race is built upon."

"I didn't think there was anything on your… well, _you._"

"There isn't. But, y'know, haphazard guesses and logical thinking basically makes up like 80-something percent of this entire script… or maybe, speech?"

"Script sounds better."

"Mhm." Penny gave a solemn nod in response, before Gumball perked up again, his ears having retracted back slightly.

"So… I wanted to ask something, if… If it's okay?"

Penny tilted her head a small amount, but gave him the go ahead to ask. Gumball took a breath, now somewhat tensing in his seat.

"You said something early on the bus that, kinda caught my attention. Something about how your Dad would have to get used to you 'again'." Gumball offered a pause, a quick glance between her and her work, but saw Penny mentally eyeing his question. He was a split second away from backtracking, it was probably a stupid question to ask anyway, but Penny gave a soft nod before speaking.

"...Yeah. I don't, think I've ever mentioned it, but. Before we moved up to Elmore, I didn't exactly look like… Well, this." She motioned to herself, but it was clear the motion confused Gumball.

"I mean, female. I wasn't a girl, really."

"Huh… Really?"

"Really." The repetition annoyed her a touch, but a soft smile was present on her features.  
"It's funny to me, honestly. We're open about being whomever we want to present ourselves as, even if it takes Dad a while to get used to. I could say to my parents I wanted to be a guy and to call me Nicholas and they'd be cool with it, but breaking outta Shells is where the line is drawn. It's basically the same principle, just… more raw, I guess. Seems like a catch-22. An annoying, catch-22."

Gumball smiled in turn, it still really didn't seem to make sense as to why her family would be so overturned from breaking out of her Shell, but he quickly absconded the thought, as Penny spoke up again.

"...Does… Does that upset you?" A moment of quiet caught Gumball's attention. "...That I wasn't a girl before you knew me?" A heavy hint of worry was now lodged in her throat, as Gumball saw her eyes meet his. He quietly observed her for all but a moment, before shaking his head, returning the soft smile from before and turning to meet her face-on.

"Of course not. You could be whoever you want to be tomorrow, or in the next hour, and I-... I'd still, love you."  
Gumball had to mentally check with himself that he'd just said 'love' out loud-ish, at school. Stiil, no-one within checking distance seemed to really care, but Penny gave a sheepish huff in response.

"Who said we're on 'love' terms? I said we're a 'thing', not a '_thing'._" Penny teased, a slight amount of tears welling in her eyes, hoping to offer a leverage from the rather unintentional intense moment. They shared a hushed giggle, and the duo shared a solace look between them, before Gumball had any opportunity to further embarrass himself, Penny leaned from her seat to hug Gumball tight, face hidden into his sweater. He didn't want to admit her bear-like grasp was somewhat painful, but remained quiet for tension's sake.

"...But, I'm glad you would. ...Thank you."

They remained quiet for a few short minutes, letting emotions return to a less than tender level, before Penny removed herself from his shoulder, wiping her face a little.

"Sorry for the tear stains." Another quiet chuckle left her, as she began to stand, attempting to gather the books and her writing into a pile.

Gumball softly huffed, helping remove a rogue tear from her cheek after having stood up with her.

"Most of my sweaters are made up of 60% sweat and tears anyway." His features rested on a soft smirk. "Though, we should probably get going."  
He collected his rucksack over his shoulder, before looking down at Penny's work once more.  
"...If you need anyone to proofread your script, I'd be happy to help."

Penny could only give a meager grin in response, as the pair packed up their things and made their way from the library, hand in hand.

* * *

The shift from the morning to afternoon never went by quickly for a school day, but much to Penny's surprise and anxiety, the process went pretty much as she'd expect any 'normal' school day to go. Minus their little moment in the library earlier, the predicted scene of Tobias almost experiencing a full-fledged meltdown after having spent, according to what she gathered from others, about $25 on his now fancy sunglasses, once X-Ray specs.

As she sat outside the school atop a wall, waiting for Gumball to show up so the pair could walk home together, Penny had come to realise that, at the end of it all, no-one really seemed to mention her new appearance. Whilst there was the odd look from some of the lesser students she knew, none of them outright said anything. The worst was a double-take Ms. Simian did whilst asking her a question early, but, fortunately everything seemed to go… smoothly?  
Penny had almost believed she'd somehow fallen into an alternate timeline or she'd developed some kind of invisibility of sorts. Whatever excuse she ended on, it quickly backtracked, and for that, she'd been grateful.

An excuse wasn't needed, it seems. Despite her inner monologue itching to remind her anytime she wasn't focusing.

Thankfully she wouldn't have to worry about inner thoughts driving her mind up the metaphorical wall, as Gumball could be seen conversing with Darwin on his way out the doors, and down the steps.  
She remained seated as the step-brothers did a strange fist-bump/handshake combo that she only managed to catch half of, before they parted ways. Gumball eased himself through the patchy crowds on people to the wall where Penny was sat.

"Did Darwin not want to join us? I'm more than happy to pay for us all."

Penny eyed Darwin off in the distance, seeing he was talking to another circle of friends she couldn't quite identify from this distance. A passive thought crossed her mind that she might be needing glasses at this point.

"Nah, he said he wanted to walk back on his own for some reason. I'm not one to pass up an opportunity to spend more time with just me and you, anyway."  
Gumball mused in return, as Penny pursed her lips down at him.

"Cute."

"Well, I try. C'mon, you still owe me lunch."

"Correction, _you_, owe me lunch. Well, next lunch, at any rate."

Penny jumped down from the wall, scooping her rucksack along with her, landing with perfect ease considering her new wings carried all her weight. Another passive thought crossed her mind as to whether or not she could technically 'fly', outside of her Dragon transformation, of course.

Absconding the myriad of thoughts that seemed to be absently plaguing her, the pair set off down the street and into Elmore's lower area, where newly built shops under the highway were beginning to congregate.  
The foot traffic seemed to dissipate section by section the more they walked, before picking up again only slightly as they neared their destination. It wasn't long into their walk that Penny piped up, seeing as how Gumball hadn't said anything in the last few minutes, and his silence was beginning to daunt her somewhat.

"So, what _is _with Darwin suddenly not sticking by your side today? Every time I've seen you, he's always been with you."  
She glanced over to Gumball, who was obviously caught up in his own web of thoughts. He responded with a hard sigh, simultaneously shaking his head and shrugging.

"I honestly can't tell you. He's never been the jealous type as far as I'm aware, but." He took a moment to gaze somewhere before him, turning to Penny slightly. "It might help if you guys talked more. He probably feels somewhat intimidated by you."

Penny wasn't sure whether to be insulted or upset, opting for a reaction that mixed the two.

"I can't be _that_ intimidating, surely. I mean, we don't, _hang out_, but that's 'cause it's usually just me and you anyway. Even before recent events. I wouldn't want him to feel like an awkward third wheel. Arguably that's worse, right?"

Gumball merely half-shrugged in response.

"True. I've noticed he's been hanging around with other people, so, maybe it's just coincidental. But he definitely hasn't been distant at all."

The pair pondered for all but a moment, faces scrunched up in contemplation.

"Could just be puberty." Penny mused. Gumball snorted a laugh initially, before the realisation hit him.

"..._Oh god it could be puberty..._" A hush remark left him, accompanied with a fitting 1000 yard stare.

"You make it sound so much worse than it really is." Penny nudged him in response with a soft shoulder, a hint of crude smugness tugged at her mouth.

"Hey, listen. I can only be so many things to him, 'puberty explainer' isn't one of 'em."

A defensive blush crossed Gumball's cheeks as the pair inched closer to the new pizza/cafe hybrid, which was to be their late lunch destination. It still felt strange that someone wanted to build a pizza place nestled into the underpass of a highway, but Gumball had heard fair recommendations and wanted to try for himself, considering the distance between here, the school and home wasn't drastically far, seemed almost like fate to him.

The duo found themselves inside the building relatively quickly, considering how tiny it actually was, they were impressed it managed to even have a visible kitchen in the back, let alone enough space inside for some seating arrangements.  
Unfortunately they only had time to order, having to walk, talk and eat on their way home, not that either of them really wanted to hang out in the area, given it's rather dingy atmosphere.

A short 10 minutes later and the pair was already set on their path, talking back and forth through small mouthfuls of only slightly burnt pizza, but worthy enough of earning a fairly rated 'Eh, good enough' from them both.

"Might have to make this a regular stop," Gumball swallowed a large bite of his cheese ridden slice, absently wiping the grease onto his pants. "Well, if they get more toppings, anyway."

A solemn nod of agreement was all he got in response from Penny, who had practically absorbed her pizza in three bites. Gumball wanted to interject, but left her to whatever mental rabbit hole for the walk, and instead took to staring up into the Spring sky. The clouds were minimal, and the sun was still fiercely shining down upon them, but the mild winds kept them cool as they continued closer to their homes.

The journey ended up being a lot more quieter than either party expected, though they remained hand in hand, Gumball was beginning to worry about Penny again, who didn't appear upset to any degree that he could recognise. He turned to face her a little more as they came to a stop, her home only being just up the street, around at the corner where he'd usually split off, offering a soft smile with a light squeeze of her hand.

She met his gaze after a moment, simply glossing over his eyes before a long nasal sigh left her, returning the smile with quiet contemplation.

"You gonna be okay? I can walk up with you, just incase?" Gumball studied her gaze quietly, that look of guilt began crossing his features again.

"I'll be fine… Thank you." Penny began, taking up Gumball's other paw into her free hand, now both their hands connected respectively in a soft hold.

"Dad won't be home for a while anyway, so it gives me time to unwind, thankfully."

"Well, good." Gumball gave a small huff, ready to make his departure, before Penny's face turned into something rather unnaturally stoic, her gaze towards him now more serious than before.

"...If."  
Penny contemplated her words carefully, her heart going a mile a minute at very idea of what she was about to offer.

"...If I said, that, I wanted to run away- ...Would you come with me?"

The tension that hung on her last word caught Gumball by surprise, and a rather confused expression took over his features. The more he studied Penny's eyes, the more he realised this wasn't some dumb hypothetical. Within that moment, he let out a hard sigh, squeezing her hands with tender grip.

"...You say the word 'Go', and I'm there. Tonight, tomorrow, whenever."

He avoided her gaze for all but a second, turning back just as quick.

"I won't lie. I still feel guilty for putting you into this situation… I can't begin to put myself into your position and say I know how you feel in the slightest, but that won't stop me from being there in any way I can."

Penny cut him off from saying anything else by closing the short distance with another gripped embrace, squeezing him tight. Gumball returned with a quiet 'oof' from being held so hard, but easily wrapped his arms around her, letting an easy smile tug at the corners of his mouth.  
Whether that was the right answer or not, neither of them could reasonably say, though it helped ease the both of them from the weirdly sudden tension that covered them earlier.

With a stuffy goodbye, Gumball lessened his embrace, planting a gentle kiss to her warm, golden cheek, and left down the opposite street, waving as he did.

In that moment, Penny could only watch her last comforting aura leave, a weight remained on her shoulders, but many deeper thoughts plaguing her had vanished temporarily. Giving one final wave to Gumball as he disappeared down the street and around a corner, she scooped up her gear once again.

She watched the empty street for a few curt moments, as a shy smile crept onto her features, turning finally to finish the journey up to her house.

A warm bath, some peace and quiet, and maybe a good book if she felt up to it would be perfect to start her afternoon, as she stepped up to unlock the door and enter her domain, all prior thoughts immediately dropped upon realising she wasn't home alone.

"Heya honey." Patrick's voice was solemn as it was deep, offering a hand towards the living room.

"...We need to chat."

* * *

**As is, this ends Part 1.**

**I won't detail the next few parts, but they may or may not be as long as this one. But will hopefully improve with time.**

**The characters differ from their show counterparts as any good fic does, as I feel the changes help fit the world I'm trying to build. As such, imagine the characters how you wish, but in time they might differ with minor appearances as I write. _(Also trying to draw something up for this on the side, again, libido lacking most days.)_**

**Please note that I'm at College nowadays and usually lose my writing mojo frequently, so updates might be few and slow. **

**Thank you again for taking the time to even read this far! (if you have ;p) **


	2. Unease

**A quick note;**

**Thank you to those who left reviews, followed or faved! I'm amazed anyone took the time to read, or comment, and I can't begin to say thank you enough!**

**This is just a short piece, a kind of intermission that gives me a little more time to work on the next chapter, but hopefully gives a little more intrigue to those wondering where things can go next.**

**Once again, any feedback is appreciated. **

* * *

Penny simply cast her gaze through her father, as he stood there keeping his hand aimed at the living room, waiting for her to follow him in.

His build was easily towering her small frame, but his face, as completely lacking in defined features as it was, remained contemplative in focus. She didn't quite know where to aim her vision at him, whether to laugh and push past him, or resign her fate to whatever he had planned in his upcoming speech. ...Or script, if earlier conversations were to play a part in pedanticism.

Carefully placing her rucksack down as if she'd been primed for an investigation, she eyed it for just a moment, deciding whether or not to retort with her own script beforehand would've worked in her favour.

"...It's. It's nothing too drastic. I promise."

Patrick finally broke the silence, his arm now tired from holding it out for so long, he set himself tall with a tired sigh.

"One thing." Penny meekly responded, trying to match his height somewhat by puffing her chest out slightly, to no obvious effect. "...Are we leaving?"

Patrick could only eye his daughter uneasily, which was rare for him, considering he practically held the family under his thumb.

"...No."

His voice sounded completely uncertain. But he simply nodded, letting out the breath he'd been holding in.

"No. We're not leaving. But we do need to talk about it, so."  
He again pointed his hand towards the living room, to which Penny only began to motion forwards to.

Judith was sat in her chair, seemingly undeterred by the whole thing, but nonetheless, present physically. Polly was absent however, which was probably for the best, all things considered. Penny eased herself into an open chair, facing out towards the rest of the living room, and faced the couch, where Patrick sat himself down with little effort.

Penny eyed her parents, back and forth, trying to figure out what exactly had transpired between them before she got here.

"...So. As I said, we're not leaving." Patrick confirmed, now leaning forward, elbows on knees and his face resting behind hands that were criss-crossed.

"Your Mother made a good point about your growth, and how well you've been able to… control, your… situation."

"Is that what I'm being called now? A 'Situation'?" Penny snapped back, a furrow resting on her brow. Her voice was starting to crack already under frustration, her form remained, but it was clear she felt the urge to transform.

"All respect, Penelope, but yes, this _IS_ a situation. One that neither you nor your unknowing boyfriend have yet to clue into why this is a considerable amount of damage."

"Then how about you stop being so evasive about it and just, god I dunno, SAY what it is that's _so_ dangerous about me being me?"

"Does there really need to be that much of an explanation as to why you might be considered dangerous?" Patrick retorted, a more lax expression fell onto his features this time, but it was clear this conversation hadn't gone away the past few days.

Penny tutted in response, clenching her teeth together. "No. Obviously _not._ But you both said it yourselves, I've been able to control any emotional outbursts so far, so any issues are over with, right?"

"Penelope, were it so simple, this conversation wouldn't be happening right now."

"So then _why_ does it need to happen at all? Am I your daughter anymore? Or just a _'situation_' to you?"

"It's not that simple I'm afraid, I can't say anything more tha-"

"But WHY? You _still_ never answered my question from last time, or, how about this; Why is there nothing on who we are? Where did we even _come_ from, Dad?"

"Penelo-"

"NO." She cut him off easily, her teeth were primed in the form of fangs.  
"Don't 'Penelope' me, just."  
A heavy pause left her, mainly to catch her breath, and to ease her emotions, realising that the beginning formations of claws were now digging into the couch arms.  
"Just, _tell_ me, Dad. That's all I need."

Patrick could only glare at the air before him, his face was coated in nausea, but his expression remained somewhere between unease and discontent.

"It's… I- ...I can't. I'm sorry Penny, but I can't."

Penny threw herself back into the chair, bringing her hands up to wipe at her eyes, hoping that shutting them would make this whole scene vanish.

"What am I supposed to do then?"  
A lowly mutter was cast into the room, loud enough for Patrick to hear, but she remained unmoved from her sunken position, but her hands now gripped the corners of the chair.

"You need to trust me."  
Patrick's voice was somewhat hushed, though it was more bass-y than usual, given the soft lump in his throat that he subtly cleared.

"'Trust you', really? You can't even give me an answer to any of my questions, but I'm supposed to just, blindly trust you? Because you're my Dad?" An unamused huff left Penny, whose glance pierced the distance between her and Patrick with that of disdain and spite.

"...I understand that's a lot to ask of you right now, in this moment. But…" Patrick offered a weary look to Judith, who had been tracking their argument back and forth like a mediator. She remained quiet, but nodded toward Patrick, looking towards to her daughter with the same expression.

"...But, if you want to remain here, in Elmore, with… _him."  
_Penny noticed the unnecessary amount of pure irritation in his tone, but kept her gaze on piercing right through him.  
"...Then you need to trust me."

Penny actually sat back up in the chair for a moment, chewing over the fat in his words. She didn't need Elmore, obviously, but it's only because Gumball was here she wanted to stay. If taking him with her was as easy as she thought it could be, she'd have left mere minutes ago, her thoughts could easily picture her getaway rucksack, still unmoved from it's position under her bed.

Still, she chewed the inner lining of her mouth, eyes darting between the air before her searching for an answer.

"...Okay."  
She began, sitting forward to look her father head-on.

There was a look in her golden-hazel eyes. A look that she never wore often, but it was something that ushered in both uncertainty and desperation, one such that should never be exchanged between families under normal circumstances. Unfortunately, they weren't a normal family, and these weren't normal circumstances.

"Okay. What needs to happen?"

Patrick untensed from his position briefly, eyeing his daughter in return.

"An underlying thing you need to understand is this; the moment I feel you are unsafe, or a direct threat happens towards you or this family, we leave. Immediately. You won't get a chance to blink a 'goodbye' before we're gone."

Penny went to interject, but was immediately cut off before the words left her tongue.

"Your…. Capabilities, are incredibly unique, Penelope. I know my crypticism doesn't help in the slightest, but I absolutely mean it when I say I cannot tell you more."  
His voice was deftly stern, as Patrick rose from the couch over to Penny, setting himself down on one knee to scoop her hand into his. She flinched at first, unsure of what to truly make of his script, but let her hand be taken. Her features almost crossed into a pout, hating how easily he'd taken control of the conversation once again.

"In due time, you'll understand. I hope, at least. There's more to you than anyone on this Earth could truly begin to grasp. Not myself, not your mother, your boyfriend, or even _you._"

He finally stood up to his full intimidating height once more, towering over Penny easily.

"I'm… I'm sorry, things had to be like this. But you're my daughter, and I have to protect you. Right now, it's what I have to do."

With that, Patrick left the room, surrounded in an uneasy aura, retreating to his bedroom once more as he'd done the last few days.

Penny went to say something, but… She couldn't. The words failed to find their way from her jaw, as if stolen right from her tongue. She slumped back in the chair once again, mulling over every word her father said.

Judith rose quietly in the background, her strides reached Penny easily, as she placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Your father means well, sweetie. ...I know it's hard to believe that right now, but."

Judith had to search for the words herself, worried that all of this could've been for nothing if she couldn't make this whole thing sound less brutal than it really was.

"...Why don't you go take a bath? I'll get dinner sorted, and bring it up to you."

Penny let out a long, heavy sigh, as she wiped at her eyes. No tears had fallen, but it definitely felt like they had. In truth, she wasn't quite sure what to do next, what to think or feel as large knot of uneasy anxiety began to pool within her stomach.

That feeling after an argument or fight was severely unpleasant, topped with a seemingly unending migraine that still persisted from this morning, Penny could only adhere to her mother's suggestion.

Right now, maybe the illusion of relaxing could take the pressure off, if only somewhat.

Giving possibly the fakest attempt at a smile, Penny nodded, retreating to her room to mull over everything that had transpired, hoping to accumulate some form of sense from this entire affair.

Before she could fully retreat to her small safe haven, however, a pulse of pain crossed her head once again, causing Penny to squint against the light for just a moment. She hadn't realised it'd gotten this bad, and leant over the bannister of the stairs to peer into the kitchen.

"Hey, mom? Do we have anything for migraines?"

There was a pause. An uneasy pause at that, usually Judith would've snapped back instantly with an answer, but… Penny waited. Only after a few moments of silence, and what sounded like a muted sigh, Judith appeared at the archway of the kitchen.

"...I'll have to get some, sorry hun."

Penny brow furrowed in response. Strange, she could've sworn they had at least, _something_. Didn't her mother swig back aspirin just this morning before she left for work? Still, the ability to define any small motion that Judith was lying couldn't be covered from this angle, and Penny had to just take her word for it, quietly nodding in response before continuing upstairs, thoroughly convinced that something deeper had definitely transpired before she got home, another flurry of unending questions with answers yet to be found, it seems.

Throwing herself to her bed, Penny simply lay there for the time being, staring at the ceiling above her as if the answers to all those questions would somehow congregate into a neat little pile that'd land upon her lap and end this torment of arguments and unease. She blinked for a moment, almost hoping that the mere thought would be enough to magic the idea into reality, but the slow blinking of her fairy lights brought her attention back to realising that, obviously, nothing would happen.

If tomorrow was to be another day, she wondered how long it would be before each day was just a blur to be remembered, until she could sit back and realise how far she'd come from this moment.

That feeling felt further away than it could have ever been.

* * *

**Part 2 proper will be a little more introspective, less talkative, but will hopefully provide some more insight into another aspect of life for the other half of this story.**

**Thank you for reading!**


	3. Better Than That

**Apologies for the wait!**

**Life is a bitch, but we all know that.**

**Any feedback is absolutely appreciated!**

* * *

Progressive chirping became louder and louder as Gumball drunkenly blinked back into reality.

His brain went through the stages to process his position within the world for a moment, the realisation coming to him that he was still in bed, and not whatever dream world he just left. All manor of sweet, sickly thoughts regarding the dream dimension had completely left his mind, as quickly as he'd entered, he began reaching over himself to slide his phone into his paw to shut the alarm off.

His brand new, totally not guilt-ridden, phone, mind you. Whilst it hurt his inner core to know the bargain-bin device set his mother back a weighty amount of money she would never disclose, he at least felt some relief knowing she agreed with him finally having one.

Of course, the excuse he gave was; 'growing older meant more responsibilities, more opportunities for growth', the usual amount of spiel he'd give when begging for something rather expensive, as rarely the event occured. Whilst this was a thinly veiled excuse in and of itself to secure more contact with Penny, outside their occasional online chats, it did come with one naturally predicted consequence.

Chores.

Loathsome chores, to be pedantic by Gumball's standards. Chores that anyone else within the family was absolutely capable of doing, but through no fault other than his own, he set himself on this series of unfortunate events the moment he began begging for his phone. Those bold, kitten-wide eyes of his would lose their charm eventually, better make the most use of them whilst he can.

A hard groan finally left his chest, as Gumball swung himself out of bed, stretching himself upwards and out to hopefully crack that one section in his lower back that always bothered him. One quick swish of his tail helped prime the sound of his back cracking finally, as a hard sigh of relief soon left him, he got himself mostly dressed. Shorts and a comfy shirt were more than suitable for Saturday's lazy aura, and the pre-teen based objectives Nicole had set for him.

Though… He glanced over to the window frame for all but a second, deciding to observe his surroundings for a moment. A long moment, admittedly, as he slumped over to the window, cracking it open wide with vigor, like the jaw of a beast, to let a breeze in. Resting his forearms on the windowsill to bask in the warmth. Elmore was quaint in this early-ish state. That gentle breeze caught the soft locks atop his head once again, as the sun phased in and out behind the clouds above him. The humid California air was already beginning to cling to his frame, and his dry lips already felt the need for water.

Aside from the weather, something still felt… Off? Aside from the outside hum of suburban life, there was weight of silence that Gumball had tuned into. Darwin was seemingly out of the picture, alongside Anaïs for that matter. His siblings weren't exactly heavy sleepers, but their morning conversations could still be heard at this point in the day. If they were even here, of course.

If there was something he's missing, Gumball couldn't figure it out yet. But, making his way into the bathroom to go about his usual routine would help ease his mind into an actual functioning state.

Having taken his sweet time to maximise the amount of procrastination he could achieve today, the walk downstairs revealed that, besides Richard being slopped over the couch, blanket coating him mostly like a cloak, everything was quiet.

He could only wince at the sight of his father nowadays. It was becoming clear that times were falling fairly hard on his mother, with Richard barely offering even rational support when needed. Not that it differed any moreso than the earliest times Gumball could recall, but… It was pretty bad, and leaving the thought at that would be for the best. Gumball merely glanced past his father, before quietly strolling into the kitchen, poised to the raid the fridge for whatever minimal rations he could find for breakfast.

At least, he was, before a note caught on the fridge alerted his attention, absently picking it off from the magnet.

'_CHORES: Wash dishes, vacuum, tidy room(s), fold laundry_'

Simple enough, he thought to himself, grasping the fridge open to take an already made sandwich from the other night out to snack on. Another sticky note was plastered atop the clingfilm, however.

'_DON'T FORGET! Also please wake your father when possible, if you get him to help, there's a frozen pizza in it for you. 3_'

Tempting… Very tempting. Gumball pouted his lips outward like an old 19th century gentleman, taking a moment to appreciate the clean drawing of the heart his mother does from time to time, folding the note inbetween his fingers as he made quick work tearing into the crude packaging of his breakfast. Easily gorging into the sandwich as if he hadn't eaten in the past year, which stands as being a rather dramatic way of putting that he hadn't ate anything more filling than cereal ever since that one night everything changed, easily over 2 weeks ago at this point. Even phrasing it to himself that way caused a soft knot in his stomach to catch his attention for just that moment. It certainly hadn't felt like 2 weeks.

Soft chews were the only sound that filled his ears, as he braced himself against the archways between the living room and kitchen, gazing anywhere but the ungodly mess that was Richard. It was now the weekend, thankfully, no homework had been set as far as Gumball could recall. These chores were his only remaining crux that stopped him from enjoying his time off fully, as submeanial as they were.

Though… He stopped himself mid-chew to think about what he could really get up to this weekend.

Darwin was busy with his new set of friends. People Gumball couldn't exactly place within the school, but decided they must be new arrivals, or quiet students that somehow found their way to Darwin. His fishy sibling always had a way with people, and promptly chalked it up to his brother having a higher charisma stat than him, as usual.

Anaïs was… difficult, to place. The young rabbit was always on her own, reading or playing by herself. Their age difference made it uneasy to relate to her interests obviously, but Gumball couldn't find the energy to watch her shows or indulge in the myriad of topics she always finds time to debate, even if guilt was still present.

Penny was absent for some reason she didn't quite get time to explain, even before the Friday afternoon she vanished. Gumball had forgotten to give her his number that morning, since Darwin had taken up most of his free time to ramble incessantly.

It wasn't necessarily a worrying vanishing act, but of course his mind assumed the worst.

He'd been informed the Fitzgeralds were going to remain in Elmore. At least, for now. Penny didn't go into quite the specific details, considering them mostly gruesome for Gumball's already diminished ego within her family, but cautioned him in saying that 'the slightest slip-up', and they'd gone without a trace. Already assuming the worst, he couldn't quite pinpoint what would be considered a 'slip-up' by Patrick's standards. Hell, he could breathe wrong for all that lumbering hulk of a Peanut-shaped man could care for, and that would be it.

Swallowing a hard lump of anxiety and sticky mayo coated turkey, Gumball decided to cease all thoughts about the situation, anything more and he'd lose his breakfast already.

A reserved sigh left him, as he brushed the crumbs from his paws and shirt. Getting on with his tasks would probably be best to remove any stray thoughts, he hoped.

* * *

An easy few hours had passed since his breakfast, and the sun was now at its apex, fiercely warming anyone and anything within it's gaze.

Dishes had been cleaned, dried and sorted in as neat of a pattern Gumball could achieve. As he stepped out from his and Darwin's room, taking one brief glance to ensure that he had checked every corner that needed sorting, he shut the door with a final click, before moving onto his next objective. Vacuuming.

Another look over the note reminded him that this would probably be the better job for Richard to assist with, well, to the best of his abilities, anyway.

Gumball made his way downstairs, taking no precaution this time to creep past the still sleeping Richard, who almost looked deceased if his snoring wasn't disgustingly guttural and loud all at once. Having pulled the vacuum out from the cupboard under the stairs, he now conned his most innocent face. Plugging the machine in, letting it splutter to life as the dusty whirl it emitted became louder and louder, Richard was finally beginning to stir, now peeling himself up from his interrupted slumber, sweat encasing the entirety of his fat-rolled back.

Satisfied with his awakening, he tapped the vacuum off with his foot, before peered over to his father, innocent eyes engaged at maximum. Just as he practised before.

"Oops. Sorry Dad, didn't see you there."

Richard only yawned in response, an impressive 9 second yawn at that, before he scratched the many chins he kept stored under his head, shrugging absently at his son.

"Ehhm, it's alright. Nicole… -Er, mom isn't here, is she?" He looked around passively, though not actually doing any of the visual work himself. Clearly it hadn't caught on to him that this was an intentional awakening.

"Nah, she and the others are out, I think. Not sure where, though." Gumball admitted, leaning on the vacuum casually as Richard now arose, heavy feet padding their way into the kitchen, to bury himself into the sink to wash his face with cold tap water, running his wet fingers through his scalp and behind his ears, though clearly not trying to scrub away the grime building there.

Gumball left the machine as he positioned himself against the archway again, paws tucked into his short's pockets, watching Richard mindlessly bounce around the kitchen as if his last remaining brain cell was finally shorting out.

"So… Mom got me doing chores. Obviously." Gumball piped up, glossing his father with intent filled eyes. Richard was simply uninterested, moreso now that 'chores' were involved, as he gulped back rather grotesquely from the last carton of milk.

"...She, uh, would like if you helped out. I got most of them done, just vacuuming and laundry are left."

The offer didn't tempt Richard in the slightest, who was now scavenging the cupboards for something. Crackers were the most appetising thing in there, Gumball had checked twice.

"You could vacuum? I, uh, finished upstairs, then there's only here and under the rug. I'll empty it out. If, if you want." Was that desperation growing in his voice? It wasn't pleading yet, maybe a partial lie would've worked better.

"...Or you could ignore me, again. _...It's an easy out I'm giving you here._" The last part was mumbled deep within frustration under his breath, watching his father now retreating to his indent in the couch, melting into the curve flawlessly as the TV flickered briefly, before filling the room with sound and colour.

Well, it was a hard fought attempt, at least. A hard pressed sigh left Gumball, wondering how someone could be so blatantly evasive without ever saying anything. Then again, this was his father, so really there's nowhere to go but down with him.

Gumball decided that, for now, vacuuming would wait. He left the vacuum cleaner left plugged in, leaving it for Richard incase the sudden realisation that being an incredible jackass would pull him far enough out of his ass to actually help around the house, for once. Laundry was an easy enough task for the both of them, but the prize of pizza was still present in Gumball's mind, one way or another he'd get his deserved reward.

Only a short amount of time transpired between the trip into the basement to retrieve the laundry and out into the backyard, Gumball made his way from the back porch out into the yard proper, having to bear what would be an inviting amount of sunlight if he didn't actually have to stand out in it.

Setting the basket down finally to begin, it wasn't long before his mind drifted from inner monologue to an event that had transpired only recently, that being the fight his parents had just the other night, and a particularly rough one at that.

Though he didn't want to think about it, passively picking clothes and folding them into the basket was to be such a sluggish task that his mind could only wander back to that night now that his thoughts brought it up again. It wasn't exactly the conversation that kicked off the argument, what little of it he caught anyway, but rather how quickly it all went downhill. Not one to pry into private history, especially that of his own parents, it did become more obvious with each thought Gumball had placed into the whole situation;

Richard was, for lack of anything more honest, shit, at being their father.

Those fleeting moments of fatherhood felt as if they were nothing more than forced interactions he'd been required to achieve, rather than willingly participate in. The very idea hurt Gumball momentarily, causing a slight tightening of his chest forced him to stop folding laundry.

It… sucked. As painful as it was to admit, even mentally. But with no-one around to vent to, his inner monologue would suffice. In a weird way, it felt, cathartic? If only a minute amount.

Still. Lulling himself to fold laundry again and replaying what words he could remember from the argument, to analyse them with contemplation. It made him wonder why his mother even bothered to put up with Richard so much nowadays. It certainly wasn't out of love, or marriage. There really wasn't much Gumball could place on his father that actually deemed him worthy of being around someone like his mother. Maybe it was simply just the rose-tinted glass of childhood nostalgia that made Richard seem less of a burden than he appeared to be recently. He couldn't quite decide what could be the catalyst that started this behaviour, whether the rabbit hole for their arguments went deeper than Gumball initially thought, or if this was only being manifested during the past couple months. Whatever had occurred between his parents, it had only escalated with each passing week, with the family sitting on the presupus of collapsing in on themselves.

An absent glance back at the house, he could only hope to hear the vacuum's awful whirl to begin at some point. As if his thoughts were somehow tugging at Richard's inner core, linking the two in a kind of psychic way. _C'mon... I know you can hear me. Just, help out for once. Please._

…

…

…

Nothing.

Obviously.

Deciding that heatstroke was beginning to get to him, Gumball placed the remaining wet clothes, and gathered the dry ones at a faster fate, an agitated huff leaving him. Hoping to do literally anything else at this point to stop himself from overthinking. A quick fumble to ensure nothing was left behind, he returned to the house in mute frustration.

* * *

Setting the basket down, Gumball took a hard swig of tap water, letting the somewhat cold liquid drop from his lips and down his neck, before placing the glass against his temple in an attempt to cool off a little more. It helped ease his momentary inner outburst if anything, but looking over to see the vacuum unmoved and the TV blaring what could only be described as absolute drivel only someone like Richard could enjoy, it was decided that his had had been forced, Gumball glared down the side of Richard's head, with his plan to be set in motion.

He finally approached the old machine, admiring it's ability to have survived so, so many years of absolute vile circumstances. A glance over his shoulder reminded him that Richard was still present, unmoved much like the vacuum.

A pursed huff left him as he kicked the button with his foot, the whirl of the machine came back to life, and got to work dragging the horrid thing across the carpet behind the couch, arching back and forth in an unsteady motion.

Unfortunately for Gumball, it wasn't long into this repetitive task that Richard was now yelling over the vacuum cleaner's hum, impressively so, considering his voice never raised above that of a hushed drunk-like mumble.

Flicking the button off once again, he raised an open palm paw towards him, eyebrow raised.

"C'mon, I'm tryna watch here. Can you… Not do that now?" Richard didn't even bother moving from his spot to speak, simply motioning into the space before him.

"I mean, I could do it never. Then we'd both get our asses kicked." Gumball retorted. Even without having to face Richard head on, he possessed a 'look'. One such look that could only be gained from his mother, and replicated with an equal amount of fierceness.

Nothing came back from Richard at that point, with only a defeated huff leaving Gumball to drown out the continuous droning noise from the TV.

"As I said before, you could help…? Even I can see from here it's just the rug that needs doing, so if, y'know." A rattle came from the vacuum cleaner, almost like it acknowledged it's own existence. "You just… Do it? Get it over with? Then I can do literally anything else and not bother you. Mom too, probably."

The errieness of quiet between the two lasted longer than Gumball had hoped for. Did he push past a boundary Richard didn't foresee? It's unfortunately possible, as Gumball did have that certain, tone, to his voice sometimes. Another trait from Nicole it seems, he really is her kid more than anything.

As a passing car made him anxiously stare down the window, flicking between the pane and Richard, he almost wished his mother would save him from this brief quiet, in a sense. Is… Is this how she felt? Consistently? It couldn't have been pleasant at all. Pity could only fill his frame as he stared down the back of Richard's head, awaiting a response, if there even was to be one. A reserved and deeply annoyed sigh finally left Richard, as if he hadn't breathed in the last 20 seconds at all. Though, it was more than that, it seemed. Gumball didn't have time to really think about whatever was coursing through Richard's thick skull, with a rotund frame now towering over Gumball, one meaty rabbit paw snatched the vacuum away in a swift motion, whiplash almost bruising Gumball's knuckles.

Victory doesn't taste sweet if that same feeling of resentment was towering over you. Trying not to dwell too much on it, Gumball could only throw his paws up, Richard get on with the vacuuming, as little movement was actually happening, it was at least, progress. Which surely had to mean something in the short term of things, he can at least testify with frozen pizza.

As Gumball climbed the stairs, he stopped just before the living room vanished, watching Richard cautiously.

...Did his psychic attempt from earlier work? It felt like it did. Gumball observed his paws, one palm down and the other palm up, turning them over back and forth in sync, simultaneously, eyeing them with paranormal intent.

...Of course it didn't, but the thought humoured him somewhat, letting at least some tension ease off his frame.

It would never feel right he had to coax his father, of all people, into doing something this simple. The whole situation felt needlessly childish than it really had to be, almost like a chore.

Speaking of; the clock was ticking by slowly, Nicole was primed to be home soon, and the laundry wasn't going to fold itself. Gumball offered an uneasy smile to the back of Richard's idling skull, before completing his journey upstairs.

* * *

Evening had rolled around into Elmore like clockwork. The sky had become a mischievous shade of purple, sprinkled between scattered clouds of fiery orange and hints of pink. Stars were beginning to reveal themselves, one by one, accompanying each other like a cosmic symphony. The breeze remained from earlier, though much more chilling to those not bundled up.

Gumball sat atop the roof of the front porch, with his back against the wall that was his bedroom, the window being left only a touch open so he could crawl back inside and not be locked out. A plate of mostly eaten pizza was his only companion for the moment, save the unending heavens above.

His gaze was simply fixated on the space between the house opposite and the trees off in the distance, now just a shadow more than an object.

Nicole seemed satisfied with Gumball's work today, at least he assumed, being able to just about read her tired face nowadays. As little as it really was, she'd have done all that and more in a mere hour, truthfully. Still, she rewarded his efforts with promised pizza regardless. He brought up Richard's… assistance. Or rather, his unneededly difficult, assistance. Gumball could still feel the soft mark where Nicole had kissed his forehead, her 'thank you' still sounding relieved long after the conversation ended. It wasn't long since then that he'd found himself in this spot right now, with Darwin being gone for the night for a sleepover he'd only now heard about.

It was just his thoughts and him, at this point.

Occasions like this were rare, as he only experienced this desire to chew over his fatty thoughts like this once before, soon after meeting Penny for the first time. The solemn atmosphere was comforting in times of unease, no-one to hassel him, or demand anything of him. He could just… exist, for the moment.

-That was, until his train of floatless thoughts was interrupted by a sudden buzzing, somewhere Gumball couldn't register at first, if it wasn't getting dark he'd have swatted the air around him, thinking some killer sized insect was after him.

He dug into his shorts, fishing his phone out to reveal a flurry of digits he didn't recognise. The device buzzed teasingly in his paw, as Gumball let it ring for a second more, before answering.

"...Hello?"

"Gumball! God, I'm so sorry I couldn't catch you before I left, Mom was adamant we leave early."

And just like that, Penny brought him back to reality. A mix of ease and longfulness left him in a sigh.

"N-No, no don't worry about it! I'm just… Really, really glad to hear your voice, actually." There was a hint of emotion in his throat, and he attempted to clear it not so subtly, having sat up more straight in the process. "How, uh… How'd you get my number, anyway?"

"Your Elmore+ profile, dummy. Not that I've been, y-y'know, looking at all the posts your mom tags you in. Or anything. Not at all."

Gumball thought for a moment, realising Nicole must've done the honors for him before handing off the phone. The idea alone didn't even cross his mind, but he let out a hushed laugh, nodding to no-one in particular.

"Yeah she would do that, wouldn't she? Thanks mom." Gumball could hear Penny giggle from the other end, she sounded just as hushed himself.

"So… Where are you then?"

"Oh, uh. Camping. Sorta? It's a weird hotel/camping type thing. I don't really get it." There was a pause. "Mom made us all come along for this, said it'd help Dad get outta the house. It's kinda worked I suppose, he's at least…"

Another pause. This one longer than the last. Gumball bit his lip slightly, his toothy fangs almost piercing his skin.

"...Interacting?"

"Yeah. That's pretty much it. Not that the woods in Elmore couldn't provide the same benefit, even if the whole place is sorta… Gross." Even without her image, he could tell she was making a face, or some kind of motion.

"Infested would be more honest."

"Grossly infested." Penny offered, and the pair shared another hushed laugh.

"...Well." Gumball continued, now rubbing the back of his neck with careful claws. "So long as you're okay, really. I was kinda worried you left for good."

"I'm okay hun. I've still got my, uh." She went quiet for a moment, and soft footsteps could be heard on her end. "_My backup plan. I packed the rucksack just incase he snaps before we leave. He keeps getting that look in his eye._"

A gentle smile caressed his lips. In truth, he was fixated on the pet name. 'Hun'. Only his mother called him that sometimes, it felt… Warm. Sincere. Coming from Penny of all people.

"Now that you've got me on here, if you ever need your getaway accomplice, I'm just a phone call away." Was he blushing? He felt like he was blushing. Not that Penny could see him blushing, obviously, but it made him slink down into his shirt just a little more.

"Awwh, I get to call my very own knight-in-shining armour at any time of the day?" There was a soft, elongated huff that left her, before her tone went back to normal almost flawlessly. "You're gonna get so many texts at 3am you have no idea."

Another fluffed laugh between them, but before Gumball could begin to talk about his day, or rather vent if he was to be honest with himself, Penny gave a sharp sigh.

"Ugh, Okay, uh, Mom's giving me a look. So I gotta go. But, but don't worry! We'll be back late Sunday, so… See you at school?"

"O-Oh! Yeah, uh, sure! See you soon. ...Lo-"

The receiver went dead, followed with a short, quiet beep.

That felt… needlessly cruel. Though he couldn't chalk it up to Penny intending to end it that snappy, really. Gumball sat slumped against the wall, his phone resting in his limp hand. In hindsight, ending their first call ever with 'Love you' might've been somewhat awkward, but he didn't get enough time to test those waters yet, even if he felt they were definitely passed that point by now.

Still, as he raised his phone to add Penny as a contact, his mind could only coil around the pet name mere minutes ago, each mental repeat caused his heart to beat just a little more faster, and his cheeks to redden further.

He couldn't honestly believe he felt so flustered by a simple pet name. Such names were only going to get cutesier, or stupider, or unbearably adorable over time, there was no doubt. But even the very idea made Gumball slink deeper into his shirt, masking his face from no-one in particular, his cheeks practically ripe with embarrassment. It was probably just the unexpectedness of it all, surely. Penny hadn't come across as the type to use pet names, or if she even intended to do so. He simply remained for that moment, existing in the dimmed sunlight, with the distant downtown Elmore as his backdrop, his mind tracing over the sweet words uttered by Penny, and his heart filled with just that touch of affection he craved so dearly.

All of which escaped him in an instant as his little moment was unintentionally interrupted when Nicole had opened his bedroom door, with that familiar hint of worry in her voice as she called out to him.

"Out here, mom." Gumball eased back, waving a paw upwards to where the window generally was.

Nicole slowly padded herself over to the window, cracking it open smoothly to gaze down at her son, forearms rested on the sill.

"Everything okay hun? You look red..., you're not getting sick, are you?"

Gumball absently scratched at the blush still apparently present on his cheeks, raising his chin upwards to smile at his mother, as weak as it might've seemed.

"Nah, I'm okay. Felt a little warm inside, so I just wanted to hang out here."

Nicole had flawlessly hopped out the window, now parking herself down beside Gumball, resting on her legs as they folded under her, a heavy sigh leaving her frame as she gazed outwards at Elmore.

"I can see why. Don't think the sky has ever been so pink before."

Gumball eyed her cautiously, eyebrow raised before turning to meet the view once again himself.

"S'lot more comforting that staring at the ceiling." He admitted, now pushing himself up to slouch against the wall, his tail still curled around his legs.

They remained quiet for a few minutes. It didn't bother him that his mother had barged in on his private thinking session, but… She had a familiar comforting aura, one that he would always welcome.

"...Your father didn't give you too much grief earlier, did he? I could tell he wasn't impressed with you." Nicole piped up, a hint of reserved smile on her aging features, turning her head only somewhat to peer at Gumball.

"No more than usual. I'll finish up vacuuming proper tomorrow, if you want?" Admittedly he still felt guilty for not giving his father the easier tasks from earlier, it might've gone smoother between them if anything.

"Don't worry honey, you've done more than enough today." She reached over to pad his hair, absently picking off a tiny piece of fabric that had somehow found it's way there.

He simply nodded in response, enjoying the soft touch for a moment, studying her eyes as they connected briefly.

"...Are..." Gumball began, now fiddling with his claws, instant regret telling him to just keep his mouth shut. "...Are you and Dad gonna be okay? I-I mean, you guys got pretty loud the other night, so..."

Nicole's padding of his hair eased as her hand drifted from his hair to his shoulder, motioning him to move in closer. Gumball obliged, moving the plate of pizza to his other side before saddling up to his mother, simply gazing off into the distance as her thumb caressed his shoulder. She finally let out a quiet, trembling sigh.

"...Honestly. I don't know. Imagine how he was with you today, but, times by at least 15 years of that exact feeling. That's were we stand right now, and truthfully I can't do it anymore, hun. ...If you caught anything of what we've gone back and forth on, then... I think you already know."

"...I'm sorry you have to put up with him, mom."

"Hush. You don't have anything to apologize for. I knew what I was getting into, I was just too blind to realise when I should've gotten out."

There was a hard pang of... something; Maybe a mix of guilt, or worry, that hurt within Gumball's core. It felt almost surreal that his mother was speaking so openly with him about this, yet it was all too real, given the tone of her voice.

"...I can't say he's always been like this, your father's been there alot more than Grandpa Frankie, so, he's got that going for him at least." Nicole could only let out a dry laugh, her gaze fixated on the space above the pair, watching the stars find their way between the clouds.

"Still. Simply being there isn't enough, considering the amount of nothing he manages to accomplish every day."

Gumball craned his head back slightly, aiming towards his mother as best he could.

"I did mean it when I said I wanna be more responsible. ...I think."

"It's okay if you just wanted the phone, hun. Doesn't take that much for me to realise how much Penny means to you. Especially now." Nicole peered down slightly in response, an easy smile perched on her features.

"W-Well... I mean, y-yeah." Gumball huffed quietly, his cheeks beginning to redden once more. "She's... Going through some stuff too, after the whole Shell thing. And... I wanna be there for her as much as I can. Kinda feel like, I have to be more responsible in order for that to happen, so..."

Nicole squeezed Gumball with a soft chuckle, kissing his forehead with that tender softness he loved.

"I think you'll be fine, sweetheart. Chores won't make you that responsible, but, I do appreciate the honesty." She kept the hug up for a moment, before bringing her hand up to nestle his hair, toying with a particularly long tuft. "You two have something special, no matter what stuff either of you might be going through. Be honest, and say what you mean. You can't always be there, but, I promise you Penny'll appreciate it." Nicole paused for just a moment, her own ears flattening against her head as the slightest hint of worry crossed her features.

"I know you'll never end up like your father, but, please don't repeat his mistakes. Promise to be better, that's all Penny could ask for, I feel."

Gumball was intent on Nicole's words, mentally etching them into his thoughts as best he could. A gentle nod was his response, leaning into the hug just a touch more.

"...I will. Thanks, mom."

"Anytime, sweetie."

There was a final moment of quiet, as the duo remained watching the sky finally snuff out any remaining shades of pink, with the sky now darkened enough to a soft hue of dark purple and blue, the faint dim of diluted light from Elmore's city creating a small barrier to their distant right. Nighttime insects were now in full chorus, with fireflies dotting the surrounding neighbourhood with infrequent fading lgihts. Nicole broke the silence with a hearty yawn, rubbing her eyes with a free hand before letting out a reserved sigh, rubbing Gumball's shoulder once again.

"I think it's about time I got some sleep, hun. Don't stay up too late, okay?"

Gumball let himself out from her warmth, sitting up into a more normal position against the wall as Nicole stretched herself upwards.

"I won't, don't worry." An easy smile sat on his features. "Goodnight mom, love you."

Nicole smiled just as sweetly back, despite the utter amount of tired in her eyes, leaning over to plant one final kiss to his forehead, before crawling back through the window.

"...Love you too, sweetheart."

* * *

**Part 3 will be a small while, as I've had more ideas that I wanted to toy with regarding other parts and trying to write them before starting. In truth, it's why this part took a little longer than I wanted, with rewrites and lots of life bs happening all at once.**

**I'm looking forward to the next few parts, hoping to wrap up this first 'Arc' of sorts. All in due time.**

**Either way, thank you again for reading this far!******


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